Burning for Stella Black
by downbythebay
Summary: [Fantastic Four Movieverse] Johnny meets Stella. Johnny makes Stella radioactive and brings her home to the family. They have their ups and downs, but what do they do when they meet up with an old enemy previously thought down for the count.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I'm not really familiar with Fantastic Four canon, but I'll do my best. The fist chapter is short, but the next will be longer.

* * *

Chapter One

It was Friday evening, and Reed Richards's flat of the Baxter Building was unusually still. Ben and Alicia were out for the evening and Johnny had been gone all day. Everything was set for a quiet, romantic evening—that had _almost_ nothing to do with science. Out on the patio there was a table for two set, with candles lit—that was a combustion reaction, producing carbon dioxide and water vapor—and a bottle of champagne was set on ice—that's 273.15 Kelvin, or perhaps closer to 272 Kelvin, as it was staring to melt. But chemistry and physics notwithstanding, all that was left to do was hold a non-science related conversation:

"So Sue," Reed asked his fiancée curiously as he poured them both glasses of champagne. "Where exactly did Johnny go for the weekend?" He took a heavy breath, relishing the piece and quiet.

"Whitewater kayaking in Pennsylvania," Sue Storm offered with a slight laugh.

* * *

Johnny paddled hard as he approached the short falls. He had already tipped once, and had no desire ever to be that cold again. He let out a hoot of excitement as the one man kayak went soaring off the small cliff before hitting the water at the bottom with a slight _thunk_ and a splash. He paddled through the calm pool below the falls, before heading off towards a small eddy in the calmer section of the lower Youghiogheny for a quick break.

However, there was already a group resting in the eddy—an attractive young woman with four smaller girls and a blown up raft. Three of the girls had bandanas tied around their heads. He pulled the kayak up to the sandy shore and let himself out, before heading over to the rock where the young woman was sitting.

"What're we doing here?" One of the girls asked in a nasal eight-year-old voice.

"We're waiting for Ms. Bev and Ms. Mickey to get here with the rest of the troop," the young woman with a pair of burgundy braids running halfway down her back replied, taking a drink of water as the girl ran off to play in the sand with the others.

"I hate to sound cliché," Johnny began, perching himself on the rock besides the young woman. "But what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"

"Chaperoning mah' kid sister's girl scaht trip," the woman offered with an obvious accent, looking over to him. Johnny laughed, taking note of the light freckles dusted across her nose and gentle cheekbones.

"Sound's exciting," he offered with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's 'baht as 'citing as class two rapids will ever be," she agreed. "Ah'm Stella Black." She offered him a hand as her muddy green eyes caught the sun.

"Johnny," he said valiantly. "Johnny Storm, you might have heard of me…" Stella shook her head. "Out in San Francisco." Stella laughed.

"Sugah," she began. "I 'us born an' breed in Pennsylvania. Th'only thing I get from California are raisins. Yih' some type of movie star or somethin'?"

"No, not quite," Johnny offered with a charismatic smile. "So what do you say you ditch these kiddies and we go find some real action?" He began as he helped her up.

"Ladies," Stella announced, addressing the small girls. "Can anybody tell me what 'dis is?" She motioned to Johnny.

"A...stranger," one of the girls piped up, questioningly.

"Exactly," Stella agreed. "And what do we do when we meet strangers?"

"Don't...talk to them," another of the scouts offered.

"Precisely," Stella answered, turning back to him, and adding teasingly, arching her pale eyebrows delicately. "So sorry Johnny, I've got to set an example for 'dah kiddies. Now yih' might want to skedaddle before d'other two leaders show up and pull some grandma kung-foo moves on you."

"Oh," Johnny moaned, recoiling backwards towards his kayak. "Harsh." Stella smiled, revealing the straight teeth behind her full lips. 'Killer smile,' he decided.

"But tomorrow, after 'dah kiddies go home," she continued. "I'm going to canoe down 'dah Upper Cheat, and get some rock climbing in. If ya' want to come, just meet me at the diner about a mile north of Fossil Falls, at eight." Johnny smiled victoriously. "We'll get some breakfast…your treat."

"My treat," Johnny noted, slipping back into his kayak and pushing off.

"Of course," Stella replied as he started to paddle off. Johnny pondered the situation to himself as he prepared for the next small set of rapids before his pickup point.

Stella didn't know who, or what, he was. And to Johnny, that seemed like the perfect opportunity to prove to Sue...and himself...that he didn't need to be The Human Torch to get the girl. He could just be Johnny and the ladies loved him. Hell, it had worked once with wannabe Playboy playmates, so why not some hick-chick from Pennsylvania.

* * *

**A/N:** That's pretty much all you'll be seeing of Stella's accent, except for a few words here and there. So you can pretty much use your imagination on the rest of the _th's_ and _ou's_. 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter, it's longer but one after will be shorter. I've done some whitewater rafting and canoeing in Pennsylvania, so this is based on some of my experiences; again I can't promise it's one hundred percent accurate. Remember, you must imagine the accent.

Chapter Two

After asking around, the old diner Stella had been talking about was easy enough to find. It was about a quarter mile down a dirt path off the main road—apparently providing a good place for adventure-seekers to start their day. The Squirrel Cage, the sign out front read. There were several beat up trucks in the parking lot already. One had a lawnmower in the back, and another had a canoe. He entered the diner, to find it laid out in the typical style, with a counter and some booths, and a sign reading "Have a Seat We'll be Right with You." A jukebox in one corner, and restrooms he'd rather not see on the other side of the room. Stella had a booth off to the left and waved him over.

"Hey," he began as he took a seat, across from her. And pulled a menu out from behind the napkin dispenser. A moment later a middle-aged waitress with big, frizzy, bright red hair came out from the kitchen. She looked over to their table, spotted Johnny and made a bee-line for the powder room.

"What the heck is her problem?" Johnny asked a little uptight. "Did I scare her?" He wondered silently if the waitress had recognized him. He hadn't wanted to blow his cover that fast. Stella just laughed, letting her head fall back; big, happy laughter.

"She's checking her make-up," she explained finally. Johnny's eyes got a little wider and he snickered a little with her. Another moment later and the waitress emerged from the ladies room with more lipstick and rouge than any woman had the right to wear.

"Hey Stella," the waitress began.

"Hi, Rosa," Stella offered kindly with a slight wave. "What do you want to drink, Johnny, orange juice okay?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow. Stella was taking his order? Since when had she been the waitress?

"Orange juice is fine," he began cautiously.

"And how 'bout pancakes?" She suggested. "Or would you rather have the scrambled eggs?" Now he was very confused.

"Pancakes sound great," he said, setting his menu back behind the napkin dispenser pointedly.

"So two glasses of orange juice and two orders of pancakes," Stella told Rosa, who jotted some sort of waitress short hand down on her notepad, and headed back towards the kitchen.

"Now what was that about?" Johnny asked, barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry," Stella assured him. "Rosa never deals directly with first-timers." Johnny's brows knitted.

"Come here often?" he asked in his typical ribbing way. Stella nodded.

"My dad used to bring me here all the time," she offered. Another waitress came out with two glasses of orange juice. Another ten minutes passed before Rosa emerged from the kitchen with two plates full of pancakes.

"Thanks," Stella offered as Rosa set the plates down and left, and they started to dig in. "Could you pass the 'serp?" She asked motioning towards the small container of maple syrup.

"You mean, the syrup," he teased, picking it up and pulling it out of reach. "Say '_syrup_,' syrup."

"Can I please have the 'serp?" She shot with a slight giggle.

"I'm sorry," Johnny mocked playfully, as he poured what was left of the syrup onto his own plate. "There's not going to be any syrup for you until you can say it right."

"Hey, Stella!" A man entering the restaurant called over. Stella waved, and as Johnny turned to look at him, she quickly switched her plate for his, and when he turned back around and looked down at his plate, he found it was lacking the flood of maple goodness.

"Hey," he snapped friendlily, waving his fork pointedly at Stella, as she laughed, stuffing her face. "Not cool."

After they had finished eating, they had a short war over who would, in fact, be paying the check, only to end up splitting it straight down the middle, before heading out to Stella's truck. She grabbed a wet bag and slung it over her shoulder and they pulled the canoe out of the back of the truck.

"Get the paddles," Stella instructed as she hoisted the canoe up over her head to take it down to the water. Johnny took the two paddles and with a sigh of content went to follow her. He took note of how her tank-top clung to her curves deliciously, and how the shorts she wore were just tight enough and just short enough to leave him gagging for more.

Stella set the canoe down on the small shore line and they both pulled on life vests and helmets. Johnny took a seat on the bow of the boat to help Stella in. She gently pushed him off as she tossed her bag and the paddles into the canoe.

"I don't ride shotgun," she told him pointedly, before straddling the bow of the canoe. "I'll steer. You get to be the powerhouse." Johnny thought about it a minute and shrugged, getting to his feet again.

"I can live with that," he agreed, giving her a mock salute. "Permission to come aboard Captain."

"Get in," she returned with a slight laugh, rolling her eyes. "Stay low." He crouched down as he headed to the back of the small boat, sat down, grabbing the paddle. She climbed in and pushed off and turned them around to head into the water.

"Remember if you fall out, keep your feet up," Stella warned as the water began to speed up. "I'll swing back around to pick you up."

"Thanks," Johnny took note blandly.

Fossil Falls was the first rapid up. A series of three short falls heading around a tight curve. They were jostled in their seats every time they went over the edge, and they both had to paddle hard to keep control until they reached the calm water at the bottom.

"That was fun," Johnny began.

"It was a start," Stella answered, smiling. "The Washing Machine is up next, keep to the left, there's fewer rocks, and we'll stay out of the whirlpool."

"Come on," Johnny returned. "I didn't come down here to take it easy."

"Okay then," she agreed craftily. "Hard to the right." And she gave the canoe a little kick to the right, and they were both paddling again. As they approached the torrents the canoe started to turn towards the whirlpool. Stella turned them back sharply as they entered the white water, but the back end of the canoe fishtailed and slammed into a rock as they lurched forward, then slammed into another, and one more broadside. This time Johnny was thrown out of the boat. He slid over a few more rocks before the water calmed. He remembered not to try to stand up, as Stella turned around and grabbed his paddle out of the water.

"You did that on purpose," he yelled, doggy paddling over.

"It's not my fault you weren't paddling hard enough," she called back. "Now, just grab that center spoke there and just: one, two, three, pull." Johnny grabbed the bar, and Stella grabbed the back of his lifejacket and they both managed to get him back in the boat. He flopped in, belly down, and just laughed hysterically with Stella for about five minutes before getting back into his seat.

"We've got one more set of rapids," Stella explained. "This is actually the one where I got thrown out of the raft, my first time. The raft ran over me, and my ankle got caught."

"Good to know," Johnny started as they paddled towards the white water.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** In regards to Stella's accent in previous chapters, I have cousins in the Pittsburg area of Pennsylvania, and a lot of people there have accents similar to that. I was, of course, exaggerating the dialect so it would be more noticeable in print. No offense meant to any Pennsylvania natives. Sorry this one's kind of short.

* * *

Chapter Three

Johnny and Stella made it through the next set of whitewater without incident, and stopped another mile downstream and pulled it ashore to the rock formation they intended to climb. It was a cliff face about thirty feet high, formed like many sheets of rock piled one on top of the other, overlapping one another, and jutting out furthest at the very top. There were already two sets of ropes hanging down, secured at the peak.

"Isn't it great," Stella began. "Over hundreds of thousands of years the river carved this formation out of the rock." She gave one of the secured lines a hard tug. "My brother and I climbed it yesterday, so we're top roping." She produced the proper gear from her wet bag and they secured their harnesses to the ropes hanging from the cliff and to one another. The stone was cool and moist from the shade of the trees and the slight spray of water near the bottom of the small formation, but got dry and warmer where the sun peered through the vegetation and hit the rock. It didn't seem very difficult; there were plenty of ledges and handles. He might have even tried soloing it, but for today he would do it Stella's way.

She would climb, and secure him, and he would climb a little further and let her follow. Belaying. They were still getting used to each other and so the process required a lot of verbal signals from one another. They were about halfway up the cliff face, and Johnny was having a hard time finding a handle.

"Use your legs," Stella offered from a few feet above. "Push yourself up and I'll pull." He tried and lost his footing, and swung down in an arch.

"Falling!" He alerted her to his freefall unnecessarily, as Stella quickly secured him, and he found his footing on a ledge about five feet from the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking down at him.

"Yea I'm good," he assured her, looking up. That's when it happened. A bazaar twist of fate that changed their lives forever. The handle Stella had a grip on gave way and she fell; fifteen feet to hit the ground on her side. "Shit!" Johnny swore loudly, "Stella, are you okay?" No answer, she was unconscious. "**Stella!** Crap," he started, jumping down from the ledge.

That was when a large plate of rock hanging over them groaned and began to fall. Johnny saw it and rushed to throw himself over Stella as the boulder fell. In an instant they were both domed in flame. Flames hot enough to melt stone, protecting them both. When the danger had past the flames died and molten rock cooled around them.

"Stella! Come on Stella." Johnny urged touching her face, checking her for visible injuries. Both their clothes were a little singed, her face was flushed, and her arm was twisted at an odd angle, probably broken by her fall. "Damn it," he spat. He didn't want to move her. Johnny gingerly pressed a finger to her neck. He could feel her pulse fast and strong, she was alive. He hurried over to where the backpack was set and searched the pockets until he found a cell phone.

He went to dial 911, but then thought again. He punched in the digits, and waited anxiously for some one to pick up.

"Come on, come on," he hissed, pacing back and forth by where Stella was lying.

"Hello," A voice came from the other end of the line. Thank God!

"Hey Sis," Johnny began carefully. "We've got a problem."

* * *

**A/N:** I promise the next will be longer, and not only am I leaving you with a cliffhanger, but I'm asking for at least 4 reviews before the next chapter. I've already got it written so as soon as I get my reviews I'll post it. I know, I know, I'm a slave tofeedback. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Stella regained some consciousness. She was well aware that she hurt all over, and had no idea why. She wanted to wake up, but sleep felt so good. So she kept her eyes closed and listened to the people talking around her bedside.

"Do you think she's okay?" Stella heard a man talking. His voice seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"She was extremely over heated, and dehydrated." Another man spoke. "And her pulse is, through the roof, 200 beats a minute, that can't be right."

"How hot did you go, Johnny?" A woman spoke this time.

"At what temperature does rock melt?" The first man—it was Johnny—sounded reprehensible.

"Johnny!" The woman spoke again. "You must have been at over 1500 Kelvin. You could have killed her."

"It was only for a minute. And I didn't want her to get crushed," Johnny returned. What the hell were they talking about? Her pulse? Rock? Kelvin? Crushed? None of it seemed to make sense. The voiced trailed away and she supposed that she was left alone.

'Time to wake up, Stella,' she told herself, and slowly, grudgingly, peaked her eyes open. The light was bright and blurred her vision. She spotted a large orange blob across the room. 'Good Stella, focus on the blob.' She coached herself mentally. And then the blob took shape. The shape of a large craggy man...what the...? Stella shot up in bed, rubbing her eyes before it registered that she was, in fact, looking at a very large, orange, human-like...THING.

"Good morning," The Thing said in a rough voice. And she screamed.

The girl moved so fast Ben hardly had time to react. She grabbed the vase from the nightstand and chucked it at him. He jumped up, getting out of the way, as she leapt off the bed.

"Now wait one minute," he began as she grabbed the broom from the corner. She swung it at him, and smacked him in the head—which usually wouldn't have phased him but she came back around and hit him on the other side of the head so fast it was almost unreal. Then she swung the broom around again and hit him in the gut, just hard enough to set him off balance and he tripped on his own feet, hitting the ground hard.

The floor shook as The Thing toppled to the ground. Stella rushed from the room and ran out the door and ran into something.

"Careful," a woman's voice warned, she sounded flustered. Stella turned to look and found only a bunch of floating clothes. She screamed again, running down the hall. She looked back in time to see a pretty blond woman appear in the clothing. But she did not see the railing that she ran into and flipped over. She yelped again, finding herself falling, only to be caught by a pair of very long arms.

They pulled her back up over the rail and set her down gently on the upper floor where she found herself facing a dark-haired man. Stella gave a shout of surprise, trying desperately to pull away, but only managed to entangle herself further in, what was essentially, the man. He let go of her, and she turned to head for the stairs when she bumped into a third person. She was shrieking in terror and beating against the man's chest as he tried desperately to hold her against him.

"Stella," he started comfortingly. "It's okay Stella, it's me. It's me Johnny." Stella looked up into Johnny's face and clung to him desperately.

"Oh God, Johnny, we've got to get out of here," she said franticly trying to pull him towards the stairs. He pulled her back into him.

"No, it's okay Stella," he tried to assure her, holding her face in his hands.

"No!" She insisted. "Those people..."

"I know," he said, as the rest of the Fantastic Four gathered behind him. "Stella, I want you to meet my sister—Sue Storm—her fiancé—Reed Richards—and Ben Grimm."

"You know these people?" She asked, astonished. Johnny nodded. "But he...and she...and _he_—"

"We all have our little oddities," he admitted calmly, and snapped his fingers. His thumb caught fire and Stella stared and took a step back in shock. He snapped them again and the fire was gone. "Stella," Johnny began. "We were in an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Stella insisted hysterically. Johnny looked over to his companions before replying:

"You may want to sit down for this."

Johnny sat her down, and with help from Reed and Sue told her the whole story. They were actually surprised that she hadn't heard anything about the space station, or the incident on the bridge, or with Victor. Stella could hardly believe what they were telling her. By the time they had finish the only thing she could manage to say was:

"My God!"

"But that's not all," Reed continued with just a hint of game show host cheesiness. "I believe you may have been affected as well."

"How is that possible?" Stella demanded.

"Because Johnny is," Reed began cautiously. "For all intensive purposes, radioactive—after the blast from the solar storm—the fire he generated to protect you—"

"What?" Stella asked, looking confused.

"After you fell, rock climbing," Sue explained. "A large chunk of rock broke off the cliff just above where you landed. Johnny threw himself over you, to protect you, and melted the bolder. But also exposed you to intense heat."

"Which, I believe," Reed continued. "Microwaved you on a molecular level. You see, the hotter things get the faster the molecules move. After the accident doctors noted that you seemed stable despite the fact that your vitals were irregular." Stella looked confused. "A very rapid pulse, and elevated blood pressure, even a little bit of a fever. Not to mention the fact that after a fifteen-foot freefall, you hardly had a scratch on you by the time Johnny got you to the hospital. It's actually quite remarkable."

"I don't think it's so remarkable," Stella snapped. "What the hell does this mean?"

"We don't exactly know," Sue offered kindly.

"That's why we brought you here," Reed explained. "For some testing to determine the strain of this transformation."

"Testing?" Stella shot. "No way."

"It's okay." Johnny assured her. "Trust me, I've been hanging around these dorks long enough to know they're not gonna hurt you."

"Thanks," Sue shot back at him, before turning back to Stella. "We just want you to stay long enough to figure this out." Stella looked from the scientists and then to Johnny, before she nodded timidly.

"Wonderful," Reed began. "I'll go over your charts again, and then we can get started." The two scientists started off and so did Ben.

"So do you want to head down to the gym for a while," Johnny asked.

"But I thought..."

"Trust me, the way the Human Rubber Band goes over charts, you'll be here until next week," Johnny assured her.

* * *

**  
A/N:** So that's how it is, like it or not. 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry about the wait guys, I've been on vacation. This one's short but the next one will be up soon.

* * *

Chapter Five

Stella and Johnny pulled on sweat clothes before heading down to the first floor conference room that had been converted into a gym with a track and some weightlifting equipment.

"I'll race you," Johnny offered as they did their preliminary stretching.

"Loser buys lunch," Stella proposed.

"Sure," Johnny agreed. He could go for lunch. "Ready," they lined up in neighboring lanes. "Set," he'd let her have a quick head start, just so she didn't feel bad. "Go!" Johnny watched Stella take off; she was moving so fast by the time she got down to the other end of the track she was just a blur. An instant later she came up behind him and skidded to a halt.

"Whoa," she declared, looking dazed.

"Whoa," he agreed, then added in a mix between a statement of fact and an awe-inspiring observation: "You're fast."

* * *

"Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense," Reed declared. "After having your molecules supper heated, your body is functioning in fast forward."

"Is that going to cause a problem?" Stella asked, worriedly.

"Well, the wear and tear on your clothes is going to cost a fortune," Reed said thoughtfully. "Sue, weren't there extra suits in the station. The material should be able to hold up against the friction. How your skin will react under the conditions of such a high speed is yet to be determined."

"What?" Stella began, looking extremely nervous.

"He means we don't know if you'll suffer from windburn," Sue explained comfortingly. "But because of the cellular activity, you may even have an advanced regenerative ability. That would also explain how you recuperated so quickly after the accident."

"You mean I have healing powers?" Stella asked excitedly.

"Maybe," Reed said, then turned to Sue. "We'll have to work out some tests." Johnny and Stella turned and headed for the elevator.

"Where do you think you two are going?" Sue called as the elevator doors opened.

"Johnny owes me lunch," Stella answered, backing into the elevator as she spoke.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait guys, here you go.

-----

Chapter Six

The insurance company had covered the damage to Johnny's car. He had fought them for it, of course, but in the end, they caved. Ben told him it was a wonder that his license plate had survived after bouncing off his head. Johnny loved that car: fast, shiny, hot, and a stereo that cranked. But right now the cranking stereo was not at the top of his list.

Stella found an old radio station that played...Happy Music...they called it. Scary music, Johnny called it. Oldies: Janis Joplin, The Temptations, Otis Redding, Nancy Sinatra; Stella seemed to like that kind of music. Right now she was riding shotgun singing along with the radio as they sat at a red light. Finally the song came to an end. Thank God, if Johnny ever heard another "Do Wa Diddy" as long as he lived it would be too soon.

"This is so much fun," Stella declared excitedly. "I've never been to a city this big in my life."

"Hey baby," the grungy man in the wannabe-hotrod stopped besides them called. "Why don't you ditch that zero and get with a real hero." Stella blushed crimson and sunk down in her seat. Johnny gripped the steering wheel heatedly. "You wanna make the easiest fifty bucks of your life?" Jerk-face sneered. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Johnny had been working on his temper, but nobody insults the Torch's girl...not while he was around.

"Get down," Johnny instructed, he put his hand on the back of Stella's head and quickly pushed her forward. He chucked a ball of flame at the adjacent car. It hit the driver's side door with enough force to rock the car. Jerk-face shouted in surprise as he hurried to roll up his window.

"What the hell is your problem," Jerk-face yelled as Johnny chucked another fireball at him. He went off into a sting of incoherent swearwords. As Johnny chucked another fireball at the car he slammed on the gas, but halfway through the intersection his front left tire blew out from the heat. The car swerved to the left and an oncoming car hit the passenger's side. The driver of a second oncoming car slammed on the brakes, but still hit Jerk-face head on.

"Oh my gosh, Johnny look what you did," Stella half-laughed, half-hissed.

"I'm not the one who ran the red light," Johnny reminded her as he made a right turn, out of the commotion of honking horns and shouting drivers.

Johnny parked the car along the curb outside of an old pub style restaurant called Oliver's. It looked as though most of the lunch hour rush had died down and the waitress in the front hallway took them upstairs to a booth almost as soon as they came in.

"You know what this is," Johnny began craftily after they had placed their drink orders. Stella shrugged. "It's out second date," Johnny declared.

"And?" Stella looked a little confused.

"And?" Johnny teased. "The rules of proper date procedure clearly say that on the second date, I get my first long kiss."

"Oh," Stella mused. "You have this down to a science, don't you?"

"I wouldn't call it a science, per say," Johnny replied. Science bad. "I mean, I've never known a girl as long as I've known you without kissing her...well, except my sister, but let me tell you there are definitely some issues there." Stella looked as though she wasn't sure if she should be offended or amused.

"Is that so," she shot.

"Well yea," Johnny said, taking a sip of his soda. "She stripped naked in front of me and about a hundred other people on the damn bridge." Stella laughed, shaking her head.

"It's not funny," Johnny insisted, "I'm scarred for life. I just can't look at lingerie the same." But his tone quickly changed as their waitress returned with their burgers. "Oh. Food."

"Great, I'm starving," Stella began, shoving a couple fries in her mouth. Stella ended up eating her food, and half of Johnny's fries.

"You weren't kidding," Johnny ribbed good-naturedly as he waved over their waitress. "You want to go get ice cream?"

"You eat ice cream?" Stella mused. Johnny let his brow furrow slightly.

"Good point," he replied. "How about cheesecake and coffee?" Stella laughed.

"Sounds like a plan," she said as the waitress approached.

"Don't worry about it. It's on the house," she explained. Johnny grinned and thanked her charmingly.

"You know it pays to be a superhero," he said. "You're gonna like it. Especially since Ben and I do most of the dirty work. Sue and Reed usually stay up at the Baxter Building and...you know...study stuff."

"I really don't think I'm going to be fighting crime any time soon," Stella replied.

"That's the best part," Johnny said. "You don't have to."

"Excuse me," they heard a woman call. Stella and Johnny looked in the direction of the voice and found two identical copies of a woman rushing towards them. "Aren't you Johnny Storm?" The one asked, in a voice that led you to believe that she thought she was the Helen of Troy.

"Why yes I am," Johnny answered smiling in a self-satisfied, charismatic way.

"Oh my gosh, we just saw you on the news," Helen number two replied. "Hi, I'm Connie."

"I'm Annie," the second offered. Then they informed him together: "We're twins."

"We can see that," Stella replied, not hiding the agitation in her voice. The two looked at her questioningly. "Stella," she explained. "Girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Johnny repeated.

"Why yes," Stella answered. "The laws of dating clearly state that after two dates and one long kiss, we're a couple."

"Now, Stella," Johnny began philosophically as he put an arm around her. "I'm _not_ a one girl guy."

"Oh, you're not?" Stella shot back, anger growing.

"Don't worry baby," Johnny assured her. "I'm plenty hot enough to go around." Stella sneered as she grabbed what remained of her soda—which was nothing but some ice—off the table.

"Is that so? Then why don't you cool off," she returned just before dumping the ice down the front of his pants and taking off. Johnny yelped in surprise as his shorts were put on ice, as he tried to shake the ice cubes down one leg of his pants, before heading after her.

Stella hurried down the stairs and out of the pub. They weren't far from the Baxter Building, only a few blocks. She was pretty sure she remembered how to get there, so as she headed out into the light of the street she started to run. She ran as fast as she could past cars and people until she spotted the familiar building. She stormed through the doors and rushed up the stairs.

She was starving by then, even though she had just eaten, so she headed towards the kitchen area. She came into the kitchen and heard the microwave go off, and whatever it was, she wanted it. She pulled the door open and grabbed the two slices of pizza on her way out to the balcony.

Reed looked up from his paper in time to see Stella disappear with his pizza. She looked pissed, and Johnny wasn't back yet, so he wasn't about to say anything. He sighed heavily, exchanging looks with Ben and Sue, reaching into the refrigerator for the left over lasagna.

Stella finished her (or rather Reed's) pizza and began to look around for somewhere a little more secluded. She spotted a wide ledge above the balcony and decided it was perfect. She climbed up on the cement railing and pulled herself up. She sat there for some time, observing the skyline, before she heard heavy footsteps coming out onto the balcony.

Ben looked around, then up, and spotted Stella.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, pulling himself up easily. She shook her head. "You want to tell me what happened?" Again she shook her head. Ben sat silent a minute, waiting.

"He's such a jerk," Stella declared finally. "Do you know that?" Ben laughed slightly.

"I know, Johnny's always been a little conceited," Ben answered. "And a bit of a hothead...and a smartass. But I also think he has good intentions...most of the time, and he seems to...genuinely care about you. If you had seen him at the hospital, or waiting for you to come around, you would have thought he was a different person." Stella sighed.

"I'm sorry about this morning," she said finally.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her.

"You're just a little bit—"

"I know," he offered apprehensively.

"Surprising," Stella finished. "I mean, how often does a girl wake up in a strange place and find herself in the company of somebody like you?"

Surprising? Ben pondered to himself; he had heard scary, ugly, and grotesquely huge before, but surprising was new. Stella was certainly one in a million, and if Johnny didn't know what he had going for him, then he was stupider than he looked.


	7. Chapter 7

What's this? GASP! An update...You know I'd love some idead for the next chapter, and I'm sure you'd all love a next chapter...maybe we can help each other out.

* * *

Chapter Seven

Ben left shortly after their conversation, but Stella stayed up on her ledge well after dark. She wanted to see the city at night, and had found the perfect place to take in the skyline all alight. It was a little after nine when she finally decided to come back inside. Johnny had been waiting at the kitchen table for her, pondering what he would say.

"Stella," he began.

"Save it Johnny," she shot back, irritably.

"No, Stella, you listen," he insisted. "I'm not used to this. I'm not used to all the responsibility and commitments. Ever since we got these powers it's been 'Johnny don't do that', 'Johnny do this', 'Johnny save the world', 'Johnny I'm your biggest fan.' It gets old, and it's hard on me. Look, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm trying. I'm going to make stupid mistakes every once in a while and I'm sorry, but I'm doing my best." Johnny paused a beat, he wasn't sure he should be telling her this now, but, desperate times called for desperate measures, and he wasn't about to lose her now. "Because...I care about you...I love you."

He waited for her to say it back, but Stella just smiled smally at him, and then hurried over to give him a hug. Johnny blinked, frowning slightly at the awkwardness of the embrace. She didn't say it back...crap.

"I love you too," Stella offered finally. Johnny let out the breath he had been holding.

"Phew," he started releasing the tension in his body and putting his arms around her. "You had me worried for a minute." He set his chin in the nook where her shoulder met her neck and got a good whiff of her hair. He smiled coyly realizing she still smelled a little of sweat and burning pine. Oddly enough, he found it attractive. Strong women, Johnny decided, were getting harder and harder to come by. Reed had one, so did Ben, now here was his.

"So," he began craftily as he pulled away slightly. "Is it time for make-up sex?" Stella rolled her eyes at him.

"We've haven't had sex on normal terms yet," she reminded him.

"And your point is?" Johnny inquired.

"Usually that's a prerequisite...How about make-up cuddling instead?" She asked, pulling him into another warm hug. Johnny sighed rubbing her back lovingly.

"Women and your cuddles," he muttered playfully.

Johnny was sitting on the sofa in front of the television with one arm draped over the back of the seat; Stella was sitting sideways in his lap, leaning against his chest with one arm wrapped around him and her head rested on his shoulder.

"Do you know how much I care about you?" He offered, drawing her attention away from the television.

"How much," She asked sleepily.

"I walked out on the probability of a very hot three-way kiss to watch Hollywood B-movies on Lifetime with you," Johnny explained.

"Oh, you got it bad," Stella teased, rubbing her nose against his cheek.

"You bet I do," he replied before planting a loving kiss on her lips.

Reed came out of his bedroom and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. He passed the living area and something caught his eye.

"Johnny?" He inquired, "What are you—"

"Shh," Johnny urged, motioning to Stella reclining on his arm with his free hand. "She's asleep."

"Are you okay," Reed indicated the odd position the younger man was in.

"Well," Johnny began. "It's getting harder to breathe, my arm's asleep, and I kinda have to use the bathroom...but I am **so** getting laid by the end of the week."

"Of course you are Johnny," Reed muttered, rolling his eyes as he retreated to his bedroom with his glass of water.


End file.
